Faucet cooler in pre-mix machine



Jan. 25, 1966 M. L. NELSON Y 3,230,735

FAUcET COOLER IN PRE-MIX MACHINE Filed Nov. 19, 1962 M4 WEJ. /f

IN VEN TOR.

Mraz/5 //efsaw United States Patent 3,230,735 FAUCET COOLER IN PRE-MIXMACHINE Marcus L. Nelson, Albert Lea, Minn., assignor to King- SeeleyThermos Co., Ann Arbor, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Nov. 19,1962, Ser. No.238,683 v Claims. (Cl. 62-309) This invention relates todispensing apparatus and methods, and more particularly to improvedapparatus and methods for cooling a material to be dispensed from faucetmeans or the like.

In general, the invention comprises a dispensing unit wherein a materialor materials to be dispensed is delivered from a storage area to coolingmeans and then to faucet-type dispensing means. Hose means are providedt0 convey the material from the storage area to the cooling means andthe faucet means. The faucet means are often spaced a substantialdistance from the cooling means and are disassociated therefrom to anextent such that a considerable temperature differential existstherebetween. The faucet means are usually exposed to atmosphericconditions whereas the cooling means is usually supported in a casinginsulated from the atmosphere. Therefore, the temperatures of thefaucets are often considerably higher than the temperature of thecooling means, surrounding structure, and the material at the coolingmeans. In previous practice, the hose means provided to convey thematerial to the faucet means have been subjected to the ambienttemperatures both in the faucet area where the material is dispensed andin at least portions of the hose means between the cooling means and thefaucet means.

Accordingly, with previous apparatus, the material is not alwaysdispensed in a cooled condition and is usually heated during passage toand through the faucet means after leaving the cooling means since thematerial tends to acquire the temperature of the hose means and faucetmeans. Oftentimes the material being dispensed will be delivered fromthe faucet at substantially room temperature. This is particularly trueduring the rst portions of delivery of material such as fluid or thelike when the material has been stored in the hose means and the faucetsin between dispensing operations. Even during relatively rapid andcontinuous dispensing operations, a substantial amount of heat exchangewill occur so that the temperature of the material will changeappreciably between the cooling means and the faucet means.

In the present invention, the material to be dispensed is maintained atlowered temperatures during delivery from the cooling means to thefaucet means and during storage in the delivery hose means. To this endsupplementary cooling means are provided in association with the hosemeans along the length of the hose means extending fiom the coolingmeans to the faucet means. In particular, the supplementary coolingmeans are integrated with a cooling chamber, forming part of the maincooling means, in a novel and improved marmer providing maximum coolingresults with a minimum of change in existing structures and a minimum ofexpense. A circulating system is provided for circulating cooling tluidor gas such as air or the like from the cooling chamber along the hosemeans between the cooling chamber and the faucet means. In the preferredembodiment, the hose means carrying the medium to be dispensed areenclosed within passage means connected at one end to the coolingchamber and at the other end to circulating means for circulatingcooling fluid or gas from the cooling chamber along the entire length ofthe hose means. In addition, cooling fluid or gas is'adapted to becontinuously circulated in a closed cooling system in heat exchange Citnce

relationship with both the hose means and the faucet means.

The objects, advantages, and details of the inventive principles arehereinafter described in detail by reference to an illustrativeembodiment of the invention as shown on the accompanying drawingwherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of an illustrative embodiment of the invention,`partly in section;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a portion oftheapparatus shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged schematic illustration of the invention.

Referring now to FiGURE 1, the principles of the present invention areillustratively embodied in a dispensing unit which comprises, ingeneral, a casing l0 separated internally into an insulated coolingchamber l2 and a dispensing chamber I4 by a central partition 1.6.Dispensing means are provided at the top of the dispensing chamber ldand take the form of, for example, a plurality of individual faucetmeans 18, 2i), 22, 24 which are mounted in a common dispensing head 26above a flat support surface 28, or the like, on which cups, glasses,etc. may be placed to receive liquid or lluid material or otherdispensible material, through one or more of the faucets.

In addition, motor means, pump means, material storage space, and othernecessary equipment (not shown) are conventionally located in thechamber i4. None of the details of construction of the chamber 14 or theother equipment contained therein are necessary for an understanding -ofthe present invention. It will be readily understood by those skilled inthe art to which this invention relates, that the inlet hose members 30,32, 34, 36 shown to extend through the separating partition 16 at 38from chamber i4, are connected to suitable supply sources of thematerial to be dispensed and to suitable pressure means or the like tocause flow of the material through the hoses when the faucets areopened. It should be understood that four separate dispensing hoses areshown solely for purposes of illustration and that the number of hosesmay be varied as desired.

Chamber I2 is adapted to contain means to provide a cooling effect suchas a supply 0f ice 40 and is suitably insulated from chamber i4 Vand theatmosphere. The back wall of the cooling chamber is provided withvertically extending spacer panel Sil in the illustrative ernbodimentwhich forms a pair of hose cavities or channels 52, 54 in cooperationwith the back wall. The hoses 39, 32, 34, 36 extend downwardly withinone of the channels 52 to a heat exchange means oil, which in thepreferred embodiment, may be mounted in the bottom of the coolingchamber l2. A connecting head 62, provided with suitable coupling means64, 66, 68, 7i), is associated with the heat exchange means and thehoses 30, 32, 34, 36 are suitably connected thereto.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the heat exchange means 60 includes a lowerchamber 72 and an upper heat exchange plate '74.- in which conduit means76 are imbedded, or otherwise associated in heat exchange relationship,to convey the material from the hoses 3th, 32, 34, 36 through the heatexchange plate 74 to a connecting head S0 having a plurality of couplingmeans S2, 84, 86, 88. Outlet hoses 90, 92, 94, 96 are connected to thecoupling means 82, 8d, 86, 8S and extend upwardly in the chamber 54 andthrough the dividing partition I6 as indicated at 93 in FIGURE 1. Thehoses extend from the partition to the dispensing head as shown inFIGURE l and are connected through suitable coupling means 102, 104,106, 10S to the faucets i8, 2t?, 22 and 24.

In order lto keep the material to be dispensed cool after it leaves theheat exchange means D during transmit to the faucet means and/ or duringstorage in the hoses 96,

3 92, 94, 96 in between dispensing operations, a special cooling systemis provided. In the preferred embodiment, the cooling system takes theform of a cold air circulating system which is integrated with thecentral or main cooling apparatus in the chamber 12.

To this end, the air chamber 72 is provided beneath the heat exchangeplate 74 and is connected at one end by a. plurality of suitable airinlet ports 122, 124 to the chamber 12. Air outlet passage means 126 arealso provided to enable air to -be circulated through the chamber 72 in,heat exchange relationship with the plate 74. The outlet passage meanslmay be located opposite the inlet ports and extend upwardly through theheat exchange plate and the connecting head 89.

Hose enclosing means in the form of a boo-t 128 of rubber or plastic orthe like is mounted around the connecting head Si) and extends upwardlyaround the lowerl ends of the hoses 90, 92, 94, 96. The boot forms acontinuation of the outlet passage means 126 and terminates in a reducedportion 130. Suitable hose or conduit means 132 are connected to the endportion 130 and surround and confine the hose means 99, 92, 9d, 96within a com mon air passage. The other end of the conduit means 132extends through the partition 16 at 98 along with the hose means 90, 92,94, 96 as shown in FIGURE l and is connected to a housing 138,

As shown in FIGURE 3, the housing 138 surrounds the ends of the faucetmeans 192, 194, 196, 198 and the ends ofthe hose means 90, 92, 94, 96.The housing is divided into an inlet chamber 140 and an outlet chamber142 by a partition 144. Passage means 146 connect the chambers 149, 142and an outlet pasage 148 is connected by suitable conduit means 150 toair circulating means 152 in the form of a conventional blower havingintegral drive motor 154. The circulating means 152 is provided withoutlet or discharge conduit means 156 which extends to `and through thepartition 16 to discharge air back into the cooling chamber 12.

In operation, the material to be dispensed is drawn from a `sourcethrough the inlet hoses 30, 32, 34, 36 to a central or main coolingmeans provided by the heat exchange means 60. The material flows throughthe heat exchange plate 74, is cooled, and flows through the outlethoses 90, 92, 94, 96 to the faucets 1S, 20, 22,24 whenever one or moreof the faucets are opened. The ice storage chamber 12 is periodicallylled with ice or the like to cool the heat exchange plate '74 andprovide for cooling of the material in the hoses as it passes throughthe heat exchange plate.

In order to continuously cool the material after it leaves the heatexchange apparatus and during the time when it may be stored in theoutlet hoses 99, 92, 94, 96, the cold air circulating system isprovided. When the blower 152 is actuated by means of the associatedelectric rnotor or the like, 154, air is drawn from the chamber 12 overthe ice 4l) and into the air chamber 72 in the heat exchange meansthrough the ports 122, 124. rThe air is cooled and drawn upwardlythrough the passage means 126 into the air conduit means surrounding theoutlet hoses 90, 92, 94, 9d. The air conduit means, comprising the boot128 and the conduit 132, concentrates and connes the circulation of coolair in and around thel outlet hoses and provides means of drawing coolair into the faucet cooling chamber 149 at the back of the faucet unit.The cool air is drawn upwardly over the end of the faucet unit throughthe port 146 in the separating wall 144 and loutwardly through theconduit 159 to the blower. The cooling air is returned to the coolingcha-mber through the discharge passage 156.

It will be apparent that the air will leave the cooling chamber 72 nearor below the temperature of the cooled material and will substantiallyprevent any change in temperature of the cooled material in the hosesduring passage to the faucets or storage betwen dispensing cycles.Furthermore, the faucets are also located in heat exchange relationshipwith the cool air. Both the hoses, heat ex change means, and faucetshave a common cooling source, namely the ice in chamber 12. Thesupplementary `cooling means provided by the air circulation system may-be continually actuated or may be periodically actuated as desired ornecessary depending upon dispensing activ ity, temperature conditions,etc.,

The inventive principles have been disclosed by reference to thepresently preferred embodiment -of the invention by Way of illustrationand it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which theinvention relates that the inventive principles are capable of beingotherwise variously embodied and practised within the intended scope ofthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Dispensing apparatus comprising a casing, ice storage means providedin said casing, heat exchange means mounted in sai-d ice storage meansfor cooling by ice stored in said ice storage means, faucet meansmounted on said casing and spaced from said heat exchange means, hosemeans to deliver a material to be dispensed from a remote location tosaid faucet means through said heat exchange means whereby the materialis colled prior to delivery to said faucet means, an air conduitsurrounding said hose means between said heat exchange means and saidfaucet means, and means to circulate cool air through said air conduitto maintain the material in a cooled con# dition during pasage through`said hose means.

2. Dispensing apparatus comprising, a plurality of product lines, ayplurality of faucet means connected to said product lines fordispensing the product, a central product cooling means spaced from saidfaucet means, a portion of said product lines being located downstreamof said central product cooling means to deliver product to said centralproduct cooling means for cooling, a portion of said product lines beinglocated upstream of said cooling lmeans and being disassociated fromsaid central product cooling means, a cooling conduit surrounding saidportion of said product lines located upstream of said central productcooling means, means to `circulate coolant from said central productcooling means through said cooling conduit to maintain low producttemperature during transit between said central product cooling meansand said faucet means, -said central product cooling means `comprises anice storage means, heat exchange means as sociated with said ice storagemeans to cool the product, air inlet means connecting one end of saidcooling conduit to said central product cooling means, air outlet meansconnecting the other end of said cooling conduit to said central productcooling means, and said means to circulate coolant compri-sing airblower -means associated with said cooling conduit to establish a flowof cool air through said air inlet means into said cooling conduit andIalong said product lines to sai-d air outlet means.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2 and wherein said eat exchangemeans comprises plate means associated with said product lines andforming a wall portion of said ice storage means, an air chamber formedadjacent said plate means, inlet openings connecting said air chamber tosaid ice storage means and outlet openings connecting said air chamberto said cooling conduit, and said air outlet means being connected tosaid ice storage means in spaced relationship to said inlet openings ltoestablish a recirculating ilo-w path of cooling air through the icestorage chamber and the air chamber and the cooling conduit.

4. A cooling system for a dispensing unit comprising an ice chamber, aheat exchanger mounted at the bottom of said ice chamber, a faucetchamber remotely located relative to said ice chamber and being mountedabove said ice chamber, faucet means mounted in said faucet chamber,product dispensing hose means connected to said faucet means andextending through said heat exA changer means, air passage meansprovided in said heat exchanger and communicating with said ice chamber,a

first conduit means connected to said air passage means and extending tosaid faucet chamber, said product dispensing hose means being mountedwithin said conduit means, a second conduit means connecting said faucetchamber to said ice chamber, and suction fan means mounted in the upperportion of said ice chamber and connected to said second conduit meansto establish ow of cooling air drawn from said ice chamber over ice insaid ice chamber through said air passage means in said heat exchangerand through said first conduit means around said product dispensing hosemeans to sai-d faucet chamber and from said faucet chamber through saidsecond conduit means to said ice chamber.

5. A cooling system for a dispensing unit comprising an enclosed icechamber having bottom, side, and top Walls, heat exchanger means mountedat the bottom of said ice chamber adjacent the bottom Wall, a faucetchamber remotely located relative to said ice chamber and being mountedabove said ice chamber, said faucet chamber being divided into an airinlet chamber and an air outlet chamber, connecting passage meansconnecting said air inlet chamber to said air outlet chamber adjacentthe top of said faucet chamber, faucet means mounted adjacent saidfaucet chamber and extending into said air inlet chamber, productdispensing hose means connected to said faucet means in said air inletchamber and extending through an opening in the lower portion of saidfaucet chamber to said ice chamber and through an opening in the upperportion of said ice chamber to said heat exchanger means, -a firstconduit means surrounding said product dispensing hose means andextending from a point adjacent said heat exchanger means through saidice chamber to said air inlet chamber, air inlet passage meansconnecting said conduit means to the interior of said ice chamberadjacent said heat exchanger means, an

air outlet passage means connecting said rst conduit means to said airinlet chamber adjacent the bottom thereof, suction fan means mounted insaid ice chamber adjacent the top Wall thereof, second conduit meansconnected to said air outlet chamber at one en-d and to an air inlet ofsaid suction fan means at the other end, and said suction -fan meanshaving an air outlet in the upper portion of said ice chamber whereby aflow of cooling air may be established from the bottom of said icechamber through said heat exchanger means into said iirst conduit meansat the point adjacent said heat exchanger means through said firstconduit means and said air outlet passage means into said air inletchamber and upwardly around said faucet means in said air inlet chamberor said faucet chamber and through said connecting passage anddownwardly through said air outlet chamber to said second conduit meansIand through said second conduit means to said suction fan means andinto said ice cham- -ber adjacent the top thereof through said airoutlet and through said ice chamber to said heat exchanger means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 248,646 10/ 1881Gordon 62-396 1,661,385 3/1928 Pocock 62-425 X 1,987,810 1/1935 White62-398 2,065,949 12/ 1936 Sandell 62-393 X 2,076,922 4/ 1937 Simard62-393 X 2,194,319 3/ 1940 Panagopoulos 62-393 2,230,905 2/ 1941 Popky62-393 X 2,362,104 11/ 1944 Smith 62-393 X 2,771,752 11/ 1956 Tennant62-396 X ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

1. DISPENSING APPARATUS COMPRISING A CASING, ICE STORAGE MEANS PROVIDEDIN SAID CASING, HEAT EXCHANGE MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID ICE STORAGE MEANSFOR COOLING BY ICE STORED IN SAID ICE STORAGE MEANS, FAUCET MEANSMOUNTED ON SAID CASING AND SPACED FROM SAID HEAT EXCHANGE MEANS, HOSEMEANS TO DELIVER A MATERIAL TO BE DISPENSED FROM A REMOTE LOCATION TOSAID FAUCET MEANS THROUGH SAID HEAT EXCHANGE MEANS WHEREBY THE MATERIALIS COLLED PRIOR TO DELIVERY TO SAID FAUCET MEANS, AN AIR CONDUITSURROUNDING SAID HOSE MEANS BETWEEN SAID HEAT EXCHANGE MEANS AND SAIDFAUCET MEANS, AMD MEANS TO CIRCULATE COOL AIR THROUGH SAID AIR CONDUITTO MAINTAIN THE MATERIAL IN A COOLED CONDITION DURING PASSAGE THROUGHSAID HOSE MEANS.